Together Again
by amandavg1
Summary: Miguel get's hit by a car saving his baby sister's life, and goes to the Land Of The Dead far too soon. He reunites with his deceased family and prepares for his new life.
1. Miguel Dies

Miguel can't remember much after his death, or even laying there in the middle of the street, dying. Slowly losing oxygen, eyes getting heavy, sight going blurry, and feeling like he was going to pass out; those were all the feelings he remembers feeling before he died. When he closed his eyes and took that last breath, he instantly woke up in a place that looked like a boarding gate at an airport. It took him a minute to regain his eyesight.

Miguel touched his head and rubbed it slowly in circles, wincing in pain. He groaned with such a massive headache. Looking around the room, he saw big flat screen TV's above a long length of lines. It looked somewhat similar to the security area at the bridge crossing to and from the Living World.

He finally rose to his feet, and saw skeletons appearing in the room like a puff of smoke. A little after dust slowly faded away. Miguel figures that this is the first place where people go in the Land of the Dead after death, to check in and fill out forms… all that paperwork. He walks over to a line ahead of him and waited for his turn after one by one go through the gate.

When he reaches the front, he turns to the male skeleton sitting behind the desk, looking at the small computer system on the table.

"H-hi," Miguel chokes out with tears forming in his eyes. He tried as hard as he could not to burst out crying in public. The last thing he wanted to do is embarrass himself.

The skeleton turns to the boy and gasps silently. They don't have many children passing through to the Land of the Dead. This was one of very few he had to register as a citizen in this world.

"Hey kid, sorry you had to wait, the system jammed up temporarily," the skeleton explained as softly and casual as he could in front of the child. Miguel nodded, using his hand to wipe away his dry tears off his cheeks. "Since you are a child, we'll have to take you to another room and proceed there. Alright?"

Miguel nodded again as the skeleton got up from his chair and led him down the hall into a private room. The room had a desk, a computer and two chairs with a bunch of colored papers in neat piles. The skeleton got behind the desk and logged on. Miguel made his way to the other chair and sat down; his mouth quivering. He didn't want to talk or do anything at all. All he wanted to do is cry.

"Ok… so, we'll just go through the death application," the skeleton says before facing the boy. "It's pretty straight forward with lots of basic questions. Should only take a few minutes."

Miguel nodded, fidgeting with his fingers and took a deep breath. He really didn't want to do this. He was barely able to form any words or choke out a single sound. It was very hard to keep a straight face and fight back his tears, but he knew he had to be brave and get it over with.

"Ok, full name?" The Skeleton asked as he began typing on the computer in front of him.

"M-Miguel Rivera," he responded in a raspy voice as a tear trickled down his cheek.

The skeleton eyes bugged out of his head and gasped. His jaw fell off his face and onto the table. It's the kid from a year ago, the one who exposed Ernesto De La Cruz to the world of who he really was. The kid who changed everything in this world.

"The living boy?!" The Skeleton replied, with such shock and surprise that he could faint at any moment. He nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"B-b-but.." he started but shook his head knowing the boy is probably in a very emotional state at the moment. He didn't need him going into a state of shock. The skeleton took a breath and relaxed a bit, pulling himself together. "You know what, nevermind. Let's just keep going." He looked back at the computer to proceed. "Age?"

"Thirteen."

The skeleton closed his eyes temporarily, saddened. That is too young an age to die at. The kid should've lived a much longer, healthy life. His life cut off short like this? It's absolutely unbelievable and sickening in the stomach. The poor boy, now he understood why he could barely talk. The kid must be so shaken up over this death experience.

"Cause of death?" the skeleton asked next, collecting himself again.

"H-hit by a car," Miguel spoke in a sad tone. The whole experience of getting hit by the car replayed in his head. It was just awful. One second he was moving his baby sister out of the street and the next thing he knew, the car hit him and the breath was knocked out as he struggled to breathe, sliding down the road. His stomach was in so much pain, gasping for air, crying intensely to himself, unable to move.

Miguel snapped back to reality as he saw that the skeleton was trying to get his attention for quite some time, now. How long was he daydreaming for? It didn't seem that long to him, but it must've been, seeing the look on his face.

"I'm sorry, I was thinking of something else," Miguel apologized, through his light tears. He was a little embarrassed for having to daydream in the middle of the registration process. But, it was hard not to think about the car accident that caused his death. "W-What was the question?"

The skeleton sighed knowing that this was obviously too difficult for the boy to continue.

"Look kid, why don't we just skip this for now, and we'll just call your familia?" the skeleton proposed. "You can have a seat on the couch. I'll get Rachèllè to get you somethin' to read and some water."

Miguel attempted to refuse by shaking his head slightly and sniffed back his tears. He wanted to continue with this application and other paperwork he needed to fill out. He didn't want to back out.

"You've been through enough, kid," The skeleton tried to reason with Miguel in a way that he'll be able to understand. "Don't push yourself more than you have to. It's ok if you're not ready, amigo."

Miguel finally gave up and started quietly sobbing, uncontrollably. He clutched his arms with hands, as if he was giving himself a hug. That was just the gentle words that he needed to break down his guard. Now since he started sobbing, he doesn't know if he can stop.

The skeleton called his secretary over and she helped Miguel to the couch. She sat him down and put her arm around his shoulders.

"It's alright, amor," Rachèllè says softly to the young boy who started sobbing harder as he pulled up his legs onto the couch and hugged them against his chest with his arms wrapped around. She looked up at her boss who sighed in empathy for the boy. "You better contact his familia."

"Sí."

After an hour of uncontrollable cries, into the pillow, stretched out on the couch, Miguel managed to calm down a bit. He was just resting on the couch, afraid to go to sleep and have nightmares of his death experience along with other memories. He regained a breathing pattern that helped him to settle down. Tear stains were on his cheeks and chin, and eyes were extremely red. He clutched onto the cushion underneath his head and stared into thin air. He didn't know what to think anymore.

Rachèllè walked in from the next room and saw that the kid finally managed to relax and just rest. He needed that more than anything, right now. She turned to her boss and huffed.

"Did you call his familia?" she asked almost in whisper, not wanting to disturb the peaceful boy on the couch.

The boss nodded, "Sí. They should be here any minuto."

When Rachèllè was about to respond, a knock on the door occurred. A woman skeleton walked in with a clipboard under her arm.

"The Rivera familia is here for the boy," she informed the two skeletons. The boss nodded and stood up from the chair behind the desk.

"Gracias, send them in," he replied to the woman skeleton who smiled small and opened the door for the family. Hèctor walked in slowly along with his wife, Imèlda. They noticed their grandson stretched out in the couch, resting. They could instantly tell that he's been crying hard due to the tear stained face and red eyes. He was slightly shaking, trying to take steady breaths.

Miguel didn't even take notice that his deceased family is in the room. He heard some faint noises, but didn't care in the least. His eyes kept forward, feeling like he was going to throw up and be sick. He knew he wasn't sick, but tell that to his stomach which has been upset since he arrived.

Hèctor couldn't even begin to describe the feeling he felt when he saw his grandson as a skeleton. He was face painted last year, and almost turned into one, but this was a completely different story. Miguel is dead, and he could barely even acknowledge that. He felt a shooting pain in his chest when he saw how devastated Miguel looked. The poor boy probably doesn't even know how to process death. This sight broke his heart into a million little pieces. He should not be here this soon. Not now, not when he had so much to live for and a whole life ahead of him. He was just navigating his teen years, barely one to begin with. Miguel is just a child, who was taken way too soon.

"Hola, Mr and Mrs Rivera," The boss skeleton quietly says shaking both their hands, greeting them. "We've taken care of him since he arrived. He was in no condition to do the registration forms. So one of you will have to do it on his behalf."

Hèctor nodded and turned to his wife who was trying not to cry, and put on a stubborn and brave act. Only he could see past that act.

"Mi amor, you stay with him, I'll do the rest of the registration," Hèctor says as he rested a hand on her shoulder. She weakly smiled and nodded. He planted a kiss to her forehead as they parted ways. Hèctor sat down with the boss as Imèlda went to comfort her grandson.

She sat down beside Miguel and placed a hand in his bony rib cage. Touching her grandson's bones made a shiver run down her spine. This was very hard for her to process as well. Her own grandson, died. A tear trickled down her cheek as she rubbed his side in small circles.

"Mijo, amor, it's Mamà Imelda," she spoke softly to her grandson who twitched, in acknowledgement that she was there. "Papà Hèctor is here too."

Miguel weakly turned his head to face his grandmother. Her hand travelled to his stomach has he moved over onto his back. He felt his eyes water instantly and started crying as he launched himself to her. He buried his face into her chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her. They were the only family he had left and it broke his heart.

"Oh Mamà Imelda," he choked out as he squeezed his eyes shut and sobbed harder and more intensely. He started wailing and began to scream silently as he felt her tighten her grip around him. She planted a kiss on his head, and felt her own eyes water.

"It's going to be alright, amor," She spoke to her grandson and she rubbed small circles behind is back, letting him release his cries.

When Hèctor finished the registration process, he turned around to find his grandson crying heavily into his wife's chest. He let out a tear of his own grief for him. He walked over and sat down on the other side of Miguel on the couch. He put a hand on his upper back and sighed.

"We better get him home," Hèctor said to his wife who nodded in agreement. He turned and gave a small smile to the two skeletons. "Gracias, we appreciate everything you did."

"No worries, Hèctor," the boss replied.

He slowly pulled Miguel away from Imelda, and lifted him into his arms as he stood up. Miguel wrapped his arms around his grandfather's neck and cried into the crook of his shoulder, as if he was going to be ripped away from them.. Fear of losing his deceased family as well, scared him so much that he screamed out in tears, clinging to Hèctor.

"You're safe, mijo," Hèctor whispered in a soothing voice, in Miguel's ear as he still cried into his shoulder. "I got you."

They walked out of the building, with Hèctor still holding onto his grandson. As they walked home, the cries became less intense and fading away. He and Imelda shared glances as they approached their neighborhood. The walk took about a half hour from the new arrivals building.

The way Miguel clung to Hector and cried hurt him emotionally on so many levels. He turned to his wife with light tears glassing over his eyes. Imelda sighed and shared the same feelings as him. She reached over and rubbed his shoulder gently, knowing how hard her husband must be taking this news.

Walking up the steps to the front door of their house, caused much distress of how the rest of the family is going to take the news when they see Miguel. They are both standing at the front door, trying to collect themselves as much as possible. Taking last few deep breaths of composure, Imelda opened the front door, letting Hector walk in first since he was carrying their grandson.

"We're back," Imelda says breaking the silence as she closed the door behind her, trying not to startle Miguel in any way.

The family immediately ran in the front room in all different directions, full of concern. Some gasped and others had tears already in their eyes. It was just so heartbreaking to see Miguel crying into Hector's shoulder quietly. They just couldn't believe their eyes.

"W-what happened… I mean, how did--?" Julio asked, but he couldn't finish his sentence without choking up with sadness. Coco sighed and placed a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Hit by a car," Hector explained, as Miguel's cries became more silent and turned into little sobs. He didn't want to talk to anyone in his deceased family, everything was just too much for him to handle. "He saved his sister's life."

The family went silent and shared glances with each other. It was so brave and an act of courage to take his life in order to spare another's. No words were spoken, because their expressions said it all. Everyone knew.

"You better get him up in the spare room," Imelda says turning to her husband. "He should rest. That's all he really needs right now."

Hector nodded and headed up the stairs to the spare room on the second floor of the Rivera house. He's relieved that Miguel's cries has simmered down and started to relax a bit. He rubbed his grandson's back with one hand, while holding him with the other arm. Opening the door with a hand, he walked in and laid Miguel down on the bed. He covered his grandson with the blankets and fluffed the pillow a little bit.

"H-Hector?" Miguel whispered through his light tears, looking up at his grandfather.

"Yes, Chamaco?" Hector replied, with a small smile, sitting down next to him on the edge of the bed.

"I.. I'm scared… to sleep…" Tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Well, there's nothing to be afraid of," Hector says in a soothing tone. "You're safe, and with a familia that loves you very much."

"B-but w-what about… Estreno De La Cruz…?" Miguel asked, as more tears streamed down his cheeks, his body shaking slightly. Hector sighed and took his grandson's hand in his. "

"Don't worry about him, mijo," Hèctor replied. "He's now the most hated skeleton in the Land of the Dead. He won't have much longer to go."

Miguel relaxed a little, relieved to hear that. He squeezed his grip on his grandfather's hand.

"But what if he tries to hurt me?"

The thought of Estreno coming after his grandson made his blood boil with emotion and rage. He refused to let Miguel see how he was feeling. He forced a smile, and rubbed Miguel's hand with his thumb. He decided to lighten the mood and put in some humor to make his grandson feel better.

"If he even comes near you, your Mamà Imelda will beat him with a shoe."

Miguel had to chuckle at that, because it was true. She had an anger and witty side to her, and she would beat anyone tries to hurt her family. She's a strong and powerful woman with a lot of personality. Miguel likes that about his Grandma. Her defensive spirit provides the family's protection when she can. She can pick a fight and probably win in a second. Miguel likes having Imelda as his grandma.

"There's that smile," Hector says as Miguel smiles, but it was getting harder to maintain it. "I know it's hard right now, but things will get better. I can promise you that."

Miguel's smile faded and nodded, as Hector stood up from the bed. He leaned over and brushed his grandson's bangs away from his forehead. Hector placed gentle kiss on his skeleton head, and started making his way to the front door. Once he got there and opened the door, flicking off the bedroom light.

"Hector?"

"Yes?" Hector responded, turning around, standing in the door frame, with a hand on the knob.

"You know… it's not so bad… to die… when I have you and the family on the other side."

Hector's heart warmed and melted with sadness and joy at his grandson's confession. He blushed a faint amount that Miguel couldn't notice. He smiled at Miguel. Now he knew for sure that his grandson will eventually be ok and move on from this tragic event.

"Gracias… Miguel."

Miguel forced a small smile back, as he closed the door so he can try and get some rest tonight, and prepare for his new life in the Land Of The Dead.


	2. Chapter 2

Miguel slowly opens his eyes and waits for a moment for his vision to clear. He wipes his eye lids with the palms of his hands. He felt a little better having slept through most of the night, with one or two minor nightmares. This was the most he had slept since he died. He just sighed and stared up at the ceiling for a moment. All of this felt like a dream, that he could just close his eyes and wake up in his own bed in the Land of the Living.

Unfortunately, this was true. He died and needed to slowly face the reality, not the past. Miguel stretched and climbed out of the spare bed. He opened up the curtains on the right hand side of the bedroom, and looked out at the beautifully colored scenery. Skeletons were everywhere, walking, chatting, going into buildings, etc. Even spirit animals were a main attraction in this world.

Miguel smiled a little bit, remembering how much fun it was to be in this world and all it's amazing beauty and sights. He turned around and walked out of the room, down the hallway, downstairs. He heard faint chatting coming from a room that looked like the kitchen. He decided not to go in there right away, and explore his new home. Miguel figures since he is staying here, he might as well get used to the place.

Back in the kitchen, Hèctor, and his wife, Imèlda, Coco and her husband, Julio, were standing and talking to one another. Rosita is in the cooking space, making some breakfast for the family, hoping this may cheer Miguel up a little.

"Ok, so we're all agreed," Hèctor says, wrapping up the long conversation about Miguel's state. "No mentioning his death, and treat him like any normal kid. Treat everything as if it was a normal day."

"We don't want to upset the poor child," Coco added in sadly as Hèctor gave her a nod and a small smile.

"Sí, he's gone through enough," Imèlda says as they heard a noise from the entrance of the kitchen. The family turned their heads and saw a clearly emotional Miguel standing in the door frame. There was a moment of silence between all of them. Their minds were wandering and going to a blank seeing him as a skeleton, again.

"I-I took a look around… I hope that's ok," Miguel says breaking the silence, in a depressed tone, playing with his fingers.

Hèctor's face melts for the child, "Oh sí, Chamaco, this is your home."

He walks forward and places a hand on Miguel's shoulder, squeezing gently. Miguel looks up and smiles small, as a tear trickles down his cheek. He wipes it with the back of his hand and sniffles a little.

"Would you like some breakfast, Miguel?" Rosita asked softly, putting together plates of food on the counter.

Miguel thought about it, and really didn't feel all that hungry. He didn't want to disappoint Rosita if he refused, like what happens if he did that to his Grandma. He also didn't want to make his family worried for him. That's the last thing he needed, is to be a burden. So, he forced a small smile and nodded.

"Sí, Mamà Rosíta," Miguel replies, trying to sound cheerful and calm in front of his family. He walked over to the dining table in the kitchen, across from the counter. Pulling out a chair, he slowly sits down and moves the chair in. He takes a deep breath, looking at the utensils and the placemat. Miguel wasn't sure if he would eat, he hasn't tried since he came to the Land of the Dead. What will it feel like? Will he be sick? Resting a hand on his skeleton ribcage, he begins to worry a little bit.

The family walks over to Miguel and takes their places around the dining room table. Hèctor and Imèlda sat on either side of their grandchild, and Coco was across from him, next to her husband. Rosíta came in setting down the plates of breakfast for the family.

Miguel looks at his plate filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, and buttered toast. It all looks good and he knows he'll enjoy the food, but it just worries him about eating for the first time with a skeleton body.

Hèctor turns and sensed his grandchild's worries and sighed.

"Mijo, what's wrong?" he softly asked Miguel who huffs, letting a bunch of thoughts enter his mind.

"It's just that… when I--" Miguel tries to say, through his nervousness, his hand slightly shaking as he picked up his fork and breaks off a piece of the scrambled eggs. He couldn't finish his sentence without his throat causing a huge lump to prevent him from speaking.

Hèctor sighs and knew exactly what was bothering Miguel. It didn't take a mind genius to figure it out. He looks up at Imèlda and sighs, then to Coco and the rest of the family.

"You don't have to worry, sweetie," Coco says, with a small smile to her grandson. "Eatin' is just the same here."

"The food dissolves and turns invisible," Imèlda adds on, rubbing the small of Miguel's back, who still feels tense. She is trying to explain this to Miguel in a simple way that he'll understand, and take in without feeling overwhelmed. "Your digestive system won't change, and that includes usin' the washroom."

"You're goin' to be ok, chamaco," Hèctor finishes, in a soothing tone. "We won't let anythin' happen to you. I promesa."

Miguel nods slowly and raises his fork with scrambled eggs towards his mouth. He was scared, and still feeling nervous about this new experience. He slightly opened his mouth and put the eggs inside, chewing slowly. The eggs did taste good, with a little salt seasoning. He swallowed, closing his eyes, scared of what was going to happen. But to his surprise, it felt exactly the same as eating in the Living World.

Miguel opened his eyes and looked around to see that his family was waiting for him to give a signal that he was ok. He smiled small, and let out a soft chuckle. It wasn't forced, it was a true chuckle of how silly he felt of being nervous to eat again.

"Do we have any more?" Was the first words out of Miguel's mouth as he dove in for more of his breakfast. The family all felt a sense of relief that Miguel was alright after having his first bite of his meal. They also felt happy to see that Miguel was showing a positive attitude. Seeing that smile and childhood personality again touched their hearts.

The family chuckled and smiled at one another, as they were watching Miguel eat.

Miguel didn't realize how hungry he really was. He didn't feel hungry and food was the last thing on his mind since he died. But he felt this strong urge of hunger washing over him like the wind breezing through a field.

As they all began eating, Hèctor looked at his grandson and smiled a bit.

"Hey Chamaco, slow down, you'll choke if you're not careful," Hèctor chuckled in between his words. Miguel took one last bite and put his fork on his plate. Facing his grandfather, he blushed a little embarrassed for eating so fast. He didn't realize he was gobbling down his food that quickly.

"Sorry, Papà Hèctor," Miguel apologized giving a cute puppy dog look when a child feels bad for doing something wrong. Hèctor smiled seeing how cute the kid looked.

"No, it's alright," Hector says with a smile as Miguel sighs in relief that he wasn't in trouble. "This is your first meal since you…" He was going to say died, but caught himself before he had a chance to say the word, so he quickly rephrased himself. "Came here."

Miguel's face faded from a hint of joy to sadness since Hèctor mentioned his passing. He frowned and looked down to his lap and fidgeted with his fingers.

Hèctor saw Miguel's immediate change in facial response, and felt guilty for even bringing up his grandson's death. He and their family just agreed not to say a word about Miguel's death, and he just did. Seeing that he is the reasin for his grandson to go back into depression, made him feel awful. Hèctor had to find some way to fix this mistake he just made.

"Hey, mijo, I was thinkin'... maybe we can go an' buy some pintar… an' turn the guest room into yours," Hèctor suggested as Miguel's head shot up and eyes sparkled with a little excitement. He smiled small and lips tightened to hold in any energy that was about to burst. "Give us some time to catch up. If you're up to it."

"I-I'd love to, Papà Hector," Miguel says between joyus sobs as he leaped off his chair into his grandfather's arms. He buried his face into his chest, and squeezed his arms around him securely. He really did miss his grandfather a lot in the past year. Since he doesn't exactly have a father anymore… Hèctor is the closest relative to a father figure he's got. This made him feel better, and a distraction of thinking about his own grief for his parents.

He whispered as tears rolled down his cheeks, "Gracias… for everything."

Hèctor felt his own eyes glass over with tears of joy and sadness, feeling Miguel's loss of his contact with his living family. But joy was mixed in, feeling grateful that Miguel took him up on his offer, wanting to bond more with his grandson. He pulled in his skeleton grandson in further and rubbed his back.

He looked up at the family who's hearts melted at Miguel's touching gesture towards him. They really did have a special bond. Imèlda smiled tearfully and placed her hand on top of her husband's, stroking gently.

"De nada, Miguel," Hèctor replies in a soft tone, planting a kiss on Miguel's head as he relaxed his arms.

Hèctor knows that this will be an emotional road for Miguel, and there will always be ups and downs. But,t in the end, he'll be ok. Everything will be ok for them and their family, eventually.

 **Next chapter, Miguel and Hector bond and takes the time to catch up and resume their close relationship.**


	3. Chapter 3

Miguel and Hèctor left to go to town. Hèctor shut the door of their house behind him and started walking with Miguel down the path towards town. It was quite awkward for him at first because he had no idea what to say to Miguel. They never really had the chance to be alone since he died. However, it's been an entire year since they last spoke and developed a close relationship. Now that relationship was strained due to a long period of separation.

There was nothing either of one of them could do about it, no matter how much they wished it. He did miss Miguel terribly. He was like son he never had with Imèlda. Coco could've had a brother. He knew Imèlda wanted more children with him, and he desperately wanted to as well. That is one of the reasons why he wanted to quit his partnership with Ernesto De La Cruz and go back home.

When Miguel came along, he was everything that Hèctor would've wanted in his own son. His passion for music as a way of life and using it to communicate with his family from the heart. His kindness and unconditional love for his family, and will do anything to protect the ones he cares about. Last but not least, his innocence and bravery.

Hèctor knows he treats and loves Miguel like a son. He's noticed that Imèlda's been more open and vulnerable to her feelings whenever Miguel is around. Miguel has softened her life and she does have a special place in her heart for him. After all, he was the one who brought them back together again, realizing they always loved each other. Miguel made her rediscover her love for music too.

Hèctor sees behind her stubborn act, that she looks at Miguel like her son too. A son she wanted with him. Although, it is sad that they never had a second child, they are grateful for Miguel stepping into their lives last year.

He looked down at Miguel who's expression was hard to read. He couldn't tell what he was thinking and didn't want to say anything that might trigger him off.

"Hey Papà Hèctor… um, how are things here?" Miguel asked but immediately changed the phrase of his sentence that didn't make a lot of sense. "I mean, since you um, moved back… I guess?"

"Oh fine, Chamaco," Hèctor replies sweetly as they continued walking down the path towards town. "Our familia let me move back in. Imèlda… took time."

"There was tension, huh?" Miguel asked, seeing the look on his grandfather's face as he spoke. He could tell that things weren't very smooth in the last year. He felt sympathetic towards his family members because they originally thought Hèctor abandoned them. Imèlda must've been heartbroken, and couldn't imagine how life must've been for Coco without her father.

But, the sad truth is that he can relate to his grandma Coco about life without a father. He just physically lost his to death that can't be undone. He couldn't physically be with him again. That brought him to tears, thinking about never being able to hug his father, kiss him, or tell him he loves him. He couldn't do any of those things again with his mother and the rest of his living family.

"Si, there was," Hèctor says, in a quiet voice. "It took some adjustment, for everyone."

Miguel nodded sniffling back his tears, "But I'm sure they're glad to have you back."

"Oh si, we're all together now," Hèctor said, with a small smile, placing a hand on Miguel's shoulder and rubbed it back and forth. "We're together again, mijo."

Miguel smiled back, and it wasn't forced either. Papà Hèctor seems to always bring out the best in him, even through this traumatic experience. He liked being around his grandfather. He was like a father figure to him, and since he died, Papà Hèctor was more like a father than any other family relative. They share the same interests and passion for music. They were similar on a variety of levels, especially through deep personal ones.

Miguel took his hand hand gently grabbed his grandfather's hand and squeezed securely. Hèctor's eyes widened in surprise, as he looked down and saw their fingers perfectly interlacing with each other. The hands lowered by their hips as they walked hand in hand down the path.

This was a very sweet gesture from Miguel and Hèctor knew he would always cherish this moment with him. But, a touch of sadness wept over him feeling the pain and suffering through the grasp of Miguel's hand in his. He had a mixture of joy and sadness.

"The skeletons aren't looking at me," Miguel noticed. He saw that the skeleton citizens casually glanced at him with the corner of their eyes and instantly looked back forward. Some were obviously trying to find excuses to not look at him while others gasped as they walked past him. This made Miguel very confused.

"This will happen for a while, mijo," Hèctor softly explains to Miguel who tightened his hand grip, feeling emotional. "You.. passed at a young age. It's not common in the Land of the Dead."

"Oh," Miguel managed to choke out, as some tears slowly trickled down his cheeks. Now citizens are avoiding him. So much for trying to adjust in this new world.

"Hey, this happened to me, Chamaco," Hèctor says, trying to comfort Miguel who squeezed his hand more securely. "Everyone avoided me because I died young."

Miguel looked up at his Papà Hèctor and gave him a confused expression for a moment. Hèctor chuckled and broke the silence because he wanted to know why Miguel is looking at him funny.

"What?"

Miguel shook his head and released his hand off Hèctor's. He broke into a fit of small giggles and wiped the tears off his cheeks. He couldn't stop giggling when Hèctor considered himself to be young, he's twice his age! How could he be young? That made him smile and made him feel better.

"Sorry Papà Hèctor, you just don't seem that young," Miguel says in between giggles, before hiding his smiles with his hand. He didn't want to offend his grandfather in any way.

Hèctor bugged his eyes out and gasped slightly offended, but seeing Miguel in a more relaxed state of mind, laughing, warmed his heart. At least they weren't talking about his death or dying in general. That would be a heavy and emotional topic right now.

"Oh really?" Hèctor says, teasing. He looked at his grandson squarely in the eyes. He thought that putting some humor into the situation would help lighten the mood. Hèctor put his hands on his hips, smirking in amusement watching Miguel smile small and giggle ever so slightly. "Just how old do you think I am, hombre joven?"

"I don't know, early thirties?" Miguel guessed, examining his grandfather's body and facial features to make his most accurate answer. He looked at Hèctor who smirked and shook his head. "No? Mid thirties?" Hèctor shook his head again, teasing him further, crossing his arms over his chest. "Really? Ok, forty. That is my final offer!"

"Wrong," Hèctor replied as Miguel looked at him shocked. "Oh don't look so surprised, Chamaco. I was 21 when I died."

"Sorry, but seriamente?" Miguel asked, as they slowed down their walking pace along the path. "I thought you must've been at least thirty."

"Are my looks really that deceivin'?" Hèctor asked his grandson who felt guilty for offending him about his age. His face turned bright red, embarrassed of his remark and immediately shook his head.

"Oh no, it's not!" Miguel says trying to make the situation better, but didn't really know how to fix it. His mind was drawing to a blank and kept on rambling of his first thoughts. "Y-you look young! Very young! I-I don't know what I was saying!"

Hèctor laughed seeing the kid so worried about offending him, it was quite cute and amusing. Miguel's little skeleton face all beet red from embarrassment and trying to make him feel better about his age. Very sweet.

"It's ok, it's fine," Hèctor said interrupting Miguel in the middle of his rambling. "I was just teasin', Miguel."

Miguel took a breath of relief and put a hand on his chest and waited for his heart to catch up with his breaths. Hèctor smiled seeing how cute his grandson is acting like.

"Gracias a dios," Miguel finally muttered to himself after his heartbeat became steady and breaths slowed down into a more relaxed pattern. They walked in silence for a little while longer.

Miguel looked at the scenery and smiled. The Land of the Dead really is beautiful and peaceful. The clouds were light and fluffy, the stars twinkling in the sky, animals roaming around. Skeletons chatting with one another. It looked a lot like back in the Living World. Things seemed pretty similar. Adjusting was hard but also getting a little easier since he has his family by his side. Maybe someday, once he feels up to it, he'll go into town and explore the neighborhood he now lives in. But, being alone right now just made him miserable, the feeling of displacement and lost in this world. Still coping with daily nightmares and extreme anxiety over the idea of losing more things he loved.

Miguel shook his head from his thoughts and decided to continue the conversation they were having. It definitely was a distraction from thinking about his problems.

"So, if you were 21 when you died… when did you and Mamà Imèlda have Mamà Coco?" Miguel asked, curiously to his grandfather.

"Well, I met your Mamà Imèlda when I was 18, and just graduated high school. She was workin' in a clothin' store, just a few blocks from my familia's casa," Hèctor begins to explain his story before he died to his grandson. As he spoke, it brought back a lot of memories. When he met the love of his life and best friend. Starting a family was the best thing that ever happened to him. He was very proud to share these memories with Miguel, it was like passing on memories to his son. "She was beautiful. I couldn't talk to her for weeks."

Miguel stifled a laugh and hid his smile with his hand.

"That chicken?" Miguel asked as he got a playful nudge from Hèctor.

"Hey! Do you want to hear the story or not?" Hèctor asked jokingly as Miguel nodded and remained silent. He did want to hear the story of his grandfather's life before his tragic death. He wanted to know what he was like in the Living World. "I did talk to her after many weeks. We hit it off right away. We dated for about 6 meses… then eloped."

"You didn't have a ceremonia?" Miguel questioned. He grew up with the knowledge of having a wedding ceremony surrounded by friends and family. The knowledge that family was top priority over everything else, and treating them with respect. He rarely heard of eloping within his family unit. He remembers his living grandma shutting down the discussion every time it was brought up. He always wondered why eloping was such a bad thing.

"No… you see mijo, it was a last minuto decision," Hèctor explained to the child as the slow pace walking turned into barely walking at all. A few steps here and there. "We didn't want to wait and plan a ceremonia. We just didn't see the point in waitin'. We just wanted to be married."

Miguel nodded, understanding his grandfather's reasons for not wanting a ceremony. It seemed like a lot of hard work goes into planning a big fancy wedding. The cooking, the decorations, invitations, all of that seemed to take a long time to organize. Although he could not relate to being in love, he could sympathize with not wanting to wait. He isn't so patient himself, so he understood that part.

"We were young and in love," Hèctor continued, remembering all those times in his mind. Some were pleasant and some, not so much. "So a lot of decisions weren't thought through. After we eloped… our familias… weren't very supportive in any way. They wanted a ceremonia, so they were dismissive of our marriage."

"Surprising," Miguel says, sarcastically rolling his eyes. He kind of figured that the family would react that way because his living family was very strict and set in their ways about everything from religion to the food and traditions. He remembers last year when music was banned in his family. That was a rough time and took a lot of work for them to change their views and ways about music. "Our familia seems very stuck in their ways sometimes."

"I agree, chamaco," Hèctor agrees as he shrugged his shoulders. He understands fully about how Miguel feels about the strictness of their family. He felt the same way as a child up until his death. That's something he could relate to with Miguel on a lot of levels. "Anyways, we didn't have a lot of money to support ourselves with. So we both got jobs and a little casa. Then… Mamà Imèlda got pregnant with your Mamà Coco when she turned 19. She was the best little miracle of our lives. Then... two years later, I died."

Hèctor smiled tearfully remembering the first day he cradled his daughter in his arms. The innocence in her eyes, her black, soft hair, her sweet skin. Every aspect of her was perfect in his eyes. She was just so sweet and beautiful inside and out. He remembers her first few birthdays, and all the early childhood milestones. He just wished he was there for the rest of her life in the Living World.

"We wanted to have more children... but it never happened," Hèctor explained, wrapping up the end of his story. a tear trickled down his cheek thinking of what it would be like if Imèlda had more kids. he turned to Miguel who is looking intently at him with those big puppy dog eyes that made his heart melt. "But we got you instead, mijo. We couldn't be happier with someone else. You're the son we always wanted."

Miguel smiled as Hèctor took his hand hand ruffled the top of his head.

"You mean, I'm like your own son?" Miguel asked, shocked by his grandfather's confession. He didn't know that Papà Hèctor and Mamà Imèlda looked at him like their own child. That did make his heart warm and he was very touched. This confession was making it easier to move on from his own parents in a small way. Although he'll never forget the people who raised him for the first half of his childhood, he felt better that he had other relatives who thought of him like a son. This will definitely help him with the pain.

"Si, Chamaco, you are," Hector admits to the young child walking alongside him. "You are everythin' we could've asked for in a son."

"I never knew that," Miguel says still trying to process what his grandfather told him. It was a lot to take in, but he also felt more personally connected with Papà Hèctor now hearing these stories. But it made him wonder if he thought of his grandparents like a Mum and Dad. He never looked at them that way before. Well, maybe it's about time that he'd start looking at them as parental figures.

He looked up at Hèctor and smiled small.

"Gracias," he says truthfully to his grandfather with glazed tears. "It means a lot to know that."

Hèctor wrapped his arm around Miguel's shoulders and pulled him in against his side. Miguel let a tear run down the side of his cheek, leaning his head into Hèctor's ribcage.

"Mamà Coco, she was a miracle in my life too," Miguel says as Hèctor smiled tearfully as he broke the hug and looked at him. That was a very touching thing to say about her as a grandmother and a daughter. "I-I loved her so much. Even when she got alzheimer's disease, and lost most of her memory by the end of her life.. I still talked to her." Miguel felt his own eyes glaze over with tears. He remembered all the times he talked to her about exciting moments of his day, reading her books and just being in her presence. He almost cried thinking about when she died. He thought he'd never see her again for decades. "I felt a part of her corazón was listening to me talk, and knew I was there in the room."

"I'm sure she felt it too, kiddo," Hector spoke softly as Miguel sniffled and fresh tears were running down cheeks. He had a lot of pain and sufferings in him that made him cry. His death, losing family, the nightmares, everything. It was traumatic for him to have to go through all this. He really wished he didn't have to and just move on.

Hèctor placed his hand on Miguel's shoulder and squeezed gently, seeing that he was going through an emotional moment.

"But you are reunited with her," Hèctor says trying to put a positive twist on the subject of his Mamà Coco. "You can be with her again. I know she is happy to see you, mijo."

Miguel smiled at the thought of reconnecting with his Mamà Coco. It warmed his heart thinking of all the possible things he can do with her and talk to her about. He always cherished those little moments with her.

"Well, we are here, so let's go get some suministros for your new room," Hèctor says as they started to enter the Land of the Dead town which is connected to the city. Miguel perked up with all the excitement he could burst out of him physically, despite all his inner demons and pain.

He tugged on Hèctor's arm and smiled broadly, "Can I choose the pintar color?"

"You can pick out any color you want, Chamaco," Hèctor replied chuckling as Miguel smiled, jumped up in the air and back down. "It's your room now."

"Oh boy!" Miguel explained happily as Hèctor stifled a laugh and shook his head in amusement of his grandson's excitement. They quickened the pace into town to start shopping.

 **The next chapter will be decorating Miguel's new room and bonding with the rest of the family…. With some hilariously, messy incidents along the way!**

 **See you next time!**


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